


maybe there is a beast… maybe it's only us

by elisabethsdoppler



Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Canon-Typical Campbell Eliot, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Luke and Helena make up quickly because i say so, M/M, Pining, Political Alliances, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Slow Burn, Teen Romance, Trauma, mention of sexual assault, starts a few weeks after the end of season one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:14:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26248525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elisabethsdoppler/pseuds/elisabethsdoppler
Summary: shortly after the coup, the kids of new ham are forced to overcome even more dangerous challenges. can they survive and get back home? or are they doomed to be each other’s downfall?
Relationships: Allie Pressman & Cassandra Pressman, Allie Pressman & Gareth "Grizz" Visser, Allie Pressman/Elle Tomkins, Elle Tomkins & Helena Wu, Harry Bingham & Allie Pressman, Harry Bingham/Allie Pressman, Kelly Aldrich & Gordie, Kelly Aldrich & Harry Bingham, Kelly Aldrich/Becca Gelb, Luke Holbrook & Allie Pressman, Luke Holbrook & Gareth "Grizz" Visser, Luke Holbrook/Helena Wu, Sam Eliot & Becca Gelb, Sam Eliot/Gareth "Grizz" Visser, Will LeClair & Allie Pressman
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	maybe there is a beast… maybe it's only us

**Author's Note:**

> this chapter is mostly set up and introductions for the story, so it’s a little bit dull! there will be a lot more happening next chapter

This was better than Allie had expected. To be fair, her expectations had been very low. It was Campbell after all. Apparently Lexie had decided to keep them on house arrest for the time being, until they had a trial. Allie knew why. It was a stark contrast to how she had arrested and imprisoned people she believed to have committed crimes. 

She still felt utterly useless. There was very little she could do without leaving her house. The only person she saw regularly was Will, and they were already driving each other crazy. Whenever they spoke, it always ended with them blaming each other for what had happened. He kept saying that if she had listened to him none of this would have happened. He might be right, but Allie wouldn’t admit it. They made a lot of mistakes, but they made them together. They at least tried to be fair and just. Grizz was back, but she couldn’t see him and who knows if they would even end up farming the land. 

She worried about the others a lot. She didn’t know if Becca and the baby were safe. Allie didn’t think Campbell would hurt a child, but she wasn’t so sure now. She worried about Helena too. How she was, if her and Luke were still together, if she was safe. Allie knew Luke was lying, but there must have been a reason. She had trusted him, and although he had betrayed them, it was unlikely he had done if for no reason. She worried about Harry, but it was a strange kind of stress where she felt guilty for thinking about him.

But most of all, she worried about Elle. She wasn’t safe with Campbell, and Allie couldn’t do anything to help her. She felt powerless and scared and it broke her heart to think of Elle suffering. 

The house was cold and lonely without company. She missed Cassandra. She would have known what to do. Allie felt raw, like all her emotions were on display for everyone. Will hadn’t spoken to her in a long time. They avoided each other, and as much as she wanted to share her feelings with him, she didn’t feel like she couldn’t anymore. 

It had only been three weeks since the coup, but it felt like it had been much longer. The days felt like they lasted years. Allie had spent the first couple of days trying to get out, to no avail. Campbell has changed all the locks to ones that are locked from the outside, so she couldn’t leave her house unless she had a key. Plus there were padlocks on every door and window, and all the windows were boarded up. Allie had tried to pry the doors open, she had tried hitting the windows with a crowbar, but nothing worked. They were stuck. No way out.

Luke’s heart feels heavy. With guilt, with shame, with uncertainty. Every time he looks at Helena, he feels even worse. How could he lie to her? The one good thing in his life. The only thing that mattered. 

He was stationed outside of Allie’s house, where she and Will were being kept. It had only been 3 weeks since they had been arrested. Everyone had been surprised by Campbell’s decision. Luke has thought maybe he’d kill her, or make someone else kill her. But he hadn’t. He had simply told the Guard to make sure she was being fed and to not let her leave the house. 

Campbell was terrifying. Luke had thought he was a psychopath long before he had a real conversation with him, but now he believed it. He had never been so afraid of someone. Campbell wasn’t just free of empathy and emotion, he was cold and calculating. He was smart. He knew exactly what to say to make you do what he wanted. Luke loathed him.

Luke hadn’t wanted to lie. He wasn’t going to, he didn’t care if he didn’t have friends anymore. But what they had said scared him. 

“So what are you? When you’re on your own, if you really think about it?”

“It’s not so likely to go well for you. Or anyone.”

Luke had thought a lot about what those words meant. But it always came back to one thing. Helena. That was the only logical interpretation of what they said. If he didn’t lie, they would hurt Helena. He couldn’t let that happen. He didn’t know what Campbell would do to her if he didn’t keep up the lie. Luke would rather she be safe and hate him then to be in danger because of something he could have prevented. 

Grizz pulled him aside right after he had returned from the expedition. They stood in an alley behind the drugstore, careful to make sure no one saw them. He was furious. Luke had never seen Grizz like that before, so full of hatred.

“What the fuck was that?!” he growled. “You know Allie and Will didn’t rig the election, why are you lying?”

Luke thought carefully before responding. “When they told me they wanted my help, I thought it was just a bunch of idiots, that they would never actually be in power. But then I saw Campbell. Look, there’s something wrong with him, he’s an actual psychopath. They basically threatened to kill me, and I can’t risk him hurting Helena.”

Grizz’s face relaxed a little bit, but he still looked pissed. “If you just tell the truth, everything will go back to normal!”

“No it won’t!” Luke hissed, “Campbell has all of Allie’s guns, do you honestly think he’s just going to be fine with all of this? Do you think he’s not going to go on a shooting spree? Because I’m not so sure.”

“So you’re saying if you don’t do what he says he’ll shoot Helena?”

“I don’t know! He’s unpredictable, dangerous!”

“So you’re just going to go along with all this shit?”

“For now, yeah!” Luke exclaimed. Grizz groaned. “Until I can find a safe way out.”

“Then I guess we’re done here.” Grizz started to walk away. Luke lets him go. Grizz deserves a better friend than him.

He sat up on the porch. Luke could fix this. He just had to find the right people.

Kelly enjoys Gordie’s company. He’s kind and respectful and treats her as more than a pretty face. He sees her. It feels nice to be treated as a professional. She knows that’s an incredibly low bar to judge men, but the way Gordie acts is such a stark contrast to how Harry and Will acted. Harry who tried to cheat on her and Will who just used her as a distraction. 

Becca’s been recovering well. She’s still with them in the hospital, just to make sure she and Eden are healthy. They still haven’t told her about the coup. Sam had suggested holding off on telling her, just to make sure she wasn’t overly stressed. Becca just had a baby, she shouldn’t have to worry about a dictator or rigged elections or her friends being imprisoned. 

The more time Kelly spent with Sam, Becca, and Eden, the more suspicious she became of Eden’s true parentage. The way they acted together felt deeply platonic. Kelly liked to think she had a good sense of when people held romantic interest in each other. She knew Helena had a massive crush on Luke before she realized it herself, she knew how Will was in love with Allie. But the way Becca and Sam acted definitely wasn’t romantic. 

A tap on her shoulder nudged her out of her thoughts. Gordie.

“Hey,” he said shyly, “I was thinking we could go over more of the textbook?”

Kelly nodded quickly and smiled widely at him. They started to walk towards the office they had claimed as a sort of classroom. She sat down at the swivel chair behind the desk, and Gordie sat on the chair on the other side. Kelly opened the textbook and started reading aloud. They had started with the chapters on paediatric newborn care. It felt the most relevant for the time being. Gordie suggested they move on to infectious diseases next, which seemed like a good plan.

After about half an hour of reading aloud, Kelly closed the book and propped her chin on her hands. Gordie looked up from his notebook.

“Do you want me to take a turn reading?” he asked. Kelly shook her head.

“No, it’s okay! I just thought maybe we could talk for a while.” She smiled at him.

A knock at the door interrupted them. It was Luke. His eyes were tired and his clothes were wrinkled. Gordie shot up from his seat immediately. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked harshly. Luke flinched.

“I want to make things right, I want to help Allie and Will.” he scuffed his sneakers against the floor.

“Why should we believe you?” Kelly narrowed her eyes at him. 

“I don’t know,” he mumbled. “Look, I didn’t want to betray Allie and Will. Clark and Jason threatened me, and I thought they might do something to Helena, and I just couldn’t risk it.”

Gordie’s features softened. “So why did you come to us?”

“I don’t know,” he trailed off. “You both are really smart, and I thought maybe I could help you come up with a plan to get rid of Campbell.”

Kelly grinned. She couldn’t help it. “Yes!” she exclaimed. Luke smiled softly back at her. “Sit down so we can talk.” She gestured to the chair next to Gordie’s, and Luke sat cautiously next to him. 

“We have to find a way to get Campbell out of the picture without him hurting anyone.” Luke said. “He has all of Allie’s guns.”

Gordie cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, looking lost in thought. Luke fidgeted with the sleeves of his sweater. The circles under his eyes were much larger up close. It looked like he hadn’t slept in ages.

“Well, maybe we can have a sort of meeting,” Kelly suggested. “Like to exchange information and stuff.” 

Luke nods. “I can make sure Helena comes, but Grizz doesn’t want to see me so maybe someone else should get him.”

Gordie nodded. “I can get him and Sam, but I think we should tell Becca first.”

“She doesn’t know?” Luke’s eyebrows raised.

“We didn’t want to stress her out.” Kelly explained. “But I can tell her, and maybe we can all meet here around seven?” 

“Okay,” Luke mumbled. “I’ll see you all then,” He stood up and waved before exiting the room. Gordie turned back to Kelly.

“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” Gordie asked. “You know him better than I do,”

“I think so,” she replied. “Luke’s never been a good liar. That’s why it was so easy to tell when he lied about them rigging the election.” 

“Alright,” Gordie said, “We should go explain everything to Becca, make sure she’s caught up before the meeting.” Kelly smiled and walked out of the room, him trailing behind her.

Luke steadied himself and took a deep breath before entering the house. The house was empty, everyone was out working. He headed to their room after not spotting her downstairs. She was perched on their bed, scribbling in a small notebook.

“Hey,” Luke cautiously approached the bed and knelt in front of her. “Can we talk?”

Helena looked relieved, but exhausted. Her hands reached to stroke his face, and he leaned into her touch. 

“I need to explain something, but first can you please promise that you’ll wait for me to explain before you leave?”

“Okay,” Helena mumbled. She fiddled with his hair and looked down at him. She looked anxious.

“I lied about the election,” he blurted out. Helena’s hands retract from his face and her eyes are wide in shock. “Allie and Will didn’t try to rig it, I lied. I know there’s no excuse, but please let me explain.” Helena was silent, so Luke continued. “I wasn’t going to, I didn’t want to. But they wouldn’t let me leave until I agreed, and I thought they would hurt you if I didn’t lie. I was so scared of losing you. And I know I should have told you, and I know I fucked up and I’m so so sor-“

Helena placed a finger over his lips, effectively shutting him up. “I-I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you did that.” Luke hung his head in shame. “Why are you telling me now?”

“I’m trying to make it right,” Luke whispered. He gently took her hands in his. “We’re coming up with a plan to stop Campbell. I understand if you’re not ready to forgive me or if you don’t love me anymore, but I just couldn’t keep on lying to you. I don’t deserve you. I’m so sorry, Helena.” Tears welled in her eyes, and his hands came up to wipe them away, out of instinct.

“I’m so glad you told me,” She smiled slightly though her watery eyes. “I would have been so scared if someone even implied to me that they would hurt you. But… you need to promise that you won’t keep secrets from me. That we won’t keep secrets from each other. Ever.”

Luke nodded so quickly he thought his head might fall off. “I love you. You have no idea how much I do.”

“I love you too,” Helena smiled before pulling him into a gentle kiss. His hands cupped her face, and hers curled in his hair. He pulled away after a few seconds, pressing soft kisses down her throat and collarbone. She gasped when he kissed the spot where her neck met her shoulder, and unconsciously tugged him closer to her. He continued, trying to show her how much he loved her. It felt like an impossible amount to convey. She pulled away, her hands caressing his face. 

“I want everything with you,” Luke blurted out. “I want to be married to you so badly.”

“Really?” Helena asked, beaming at him. “You said you weren’t sure,”

“I was being stupid,” he breathed. “Marrying you is all I’ve ever wanted, spending the rest of my life with you is all I've ever wanted.” Helena smiled the most brilliant and beautiful grin he had ever seen. 

Grizz approached the hospital. It was almost seven, and he had been hovering in front of it for around twenty minutes, trying to muster the courage to walk in. He knew that Sam wanted to be with him, but he didn’t want Becca to think there was anything going on between them. Finally, he walked through the doors. The walls were so bright white, a stark contrast to the dark skies outside. 

“Grizz!” Gordie exclaimed, walking towards him. “I was just going to go find you.”

“Why?” Grizz asked, tucking his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. 

“Well, we were wondering if you would be available to stay for a while,” Grizz raised his eyebrows, and Gordie continued. “A few of us are meeting to come up with a plan to help Allie and Will.”

Grizz brightened, and followed him into a back room behind the entrance desk. A few people were already there. Kelly was perched on the windowsill, talking in hushed voices with a tired looking Becca. Gwen sat cross legged on the floor, and waved at him. He saw Sam, whose presence immediately made Grizz feel about ten times more relaxed. But then he turned, and saw someone who he hadn’t expected.

“Luke?!” 

He was sitting on the worn couch against the wall, Helena’s hands clasped tightly in his. He looked nervous to be seeing Grizz.

“Why the fuck is he here?” Grizz spun to face Gordie.

“It was his idea actually,” he responded. “Just let him explain,”

So Luke told them everything. He teared up a little, which wasn’t uncommon for him. Grizz felt more bad the more he talked. He had jumped to conclusions so quickly. To be fair, Luke had made a huge mistake. At least he was trying to make it right.

“So we were thinking we could meet weekly,” Kelly explained cautiously, “Luke can keep us updated on what’s going on with Campbell, Gordie and I will focus on looking after Becca and Eden, Gwen and Bean will try to inform people about what’s going on without Lexie or Harry knowing, and we’ll all compare notes next Friday.” 

“I can try to tell people at church,” Helena mentioned cautiously, “and we need to find a way to get Elle away from Campbell, she’s not safe with him.” 

Kelly nodded, and turned to jot down a note on her pad of paper. They stayed for a while longer, Gwen was the first to go, then Bean. Helena and Luke left shortly after, him giving Grizz a soft smile as they exited the room. Grizz trailed out after them, stopping outside to gaze through the window. He looked almost ethereal in the evening light. His heart ached from being apart from Sam, they hadn’t even properly talked since he returned. After all, he had only come to the hospital today to see him, not to plan another coup. He would come back tomorrow. There was still time for the two of them.


End file.
